Twinning

by Cara Echols ’19Through shared experiences, from Chapels to Forums to trips across the swinging bridge
and many late night study sessions in between, students form strong bonds at Bluffton;
so strong the connections formed can develop into students building a second family
right on campus. But eight current students came to campus with both their best friend
and their closest family member already beside them. Four pairs of twins are currently
studying at Bluffton. From freshmen to seniors, there is one pair for each class.

Leslie and LaJohn BeasleyFraternal twinsYear: First yearMajors: Social work & Business

What’s one of the best parts about being a twin?Leslie: “You have someone that understands you, everythingabout you. Even if he’s a boy, he understands everything about me even though I’m
a girl.”LaJohn: “I know her very well, and she knows me. And because she knows me very well, she
can annoy me very easily.”Leslie: “Same.”

What about the cons?LaJohn: "I can't think if any cons. But I want to know what it's like being an identical
twin."Leslie: "I feel like that would change everything, like if I was with a girl twin all the
time."LaJohn: "I'm glad we're fraternal."

What's it like having a twin on campus:Leslie: "It was a big deal when we came to orientation. I remember everyone was like, 'oh,
you're the twins.' But it doesn't really affect us at all."LaJohn: "I don't really thing it affects us."

What makes you individually unique?LaJohn: “I mean we’re interested in the same stuff other than she likes guys and I like girls
I guess. That’s probablythe only thing we don’t have in common.”Leslie: “We’re like two opposite people; it’s really weird. Our personalities are completely
different. He is super chill, laid back, and very social, where I’m introverted. We
balance each other out.”LaJohn: “We’re very different people. We have similar interests, but it’s like interests
in different ways.”

Do you remember dressing similarly or do you now?Leslie: "My older brother is just a year apart so our parents dressed the boys together when
we were younger."LaJohn: "Me and my brother looked a lot alike when we were younger."Leslie: "Yeah, so they like twinned them."

Does having a twin differ from an ordinary sibling?Leslie: "I don't think it would be any different because we have an older brother. I don't
think if he came here it would be much different."LaJohn: "If I didn't have a twin I think I would be a little more independent or she would
be a little more independent. We would be able to do our own thing."Leslie: "Oh, I see what you're saying, because we do the same things."

Do you think you have twin telepathy:LaJohn: "Uh, sort of, kind of."Leslie: "We played a trick on my volleyball team. Like they would ask LaJohn a question and
he would tell them something and then signal me. Then they would ask me the question
and I would say the same thing. I think that's the funniest thing we do to people."

What’s it like having a twin on campus?Ben: “I think it’s closer than even having a friend on campus, and especially since we’re
both doing a psych major it’s like we’re going through school together. It’s not just
like friends doing the same thing, but you know whatever you go into in the end you’re
still going to be connected in that way.”Alex: “Because of our majors, we have a lot of similar classes.”Ben: “It helps cause we can ask each other questions and advice on what to take.”

Do you remember dressing similarly or do you now?Ben: “Our styles are different. He likes t-shirts and hoodies. We both like flannels,
but I always wear v-necks and jeans.”Alex: “We don’t intentionally try to dress alike. Sometimes we just end up that way because
we have a lot of the same clothes. So sometimes it just kind of happens.”

What about the cons?Howard: “I don’t really think there would be any.”Dean: “We get along pretty well.”Howard: “Yeah, I mean we don’t hate each other, and wehave such different schedules.”Dean: “Yeah, it’s not like we ever see each other because weare so busy. So I can’t really think of any cons.”

Does having a twin differ from an ordinary sibling?Dean: “Well, it’s not like we’re identical twins and do the same thing all the time.”Howard: “Yeah, I mean even growing up we always were in the same grade and same classes,
but it was just normal.”Dean: “We are two totally different people.”

What’s one of the best parts about being a twin?Austin: “Well, normal people they have to find their best friend. When you have a twin, you’re
kind of born with them. So you’re always with them.”Kevin: “It can be helpful sometimes. Like you might have a best friend, but you may not
live in the same area. Or, I can wear his clothes if I need something. We drive home
together which is nice; we share a car.”

Do you think you have twin telepathy?Austin: “We’re going to get a list of things that we know are the same, so we can freak people
out. Other than that, we just say the same thing at the same time.”Kevin: “There were times where I would tell my mom something about college and then five
minutes later Austin would come up, without talking to me, and say the exact same
thing. I don’t know if that’s twin telepathy, but we definitely think the same.”